Wednesday Woolgathering

Momentum is certainly great and advantageous, but it can all vanish in a second.

Or, in N.C. Stateâ€™s case, in 0.8 seconds.

The Wolfpack (16-6, 5-4 ACC) had a one-point lead against Miami on Saturday until Reggie Johnson tipped in a rebound with 0.8 seconds remaining to give the Hurricanes the victory. And, instead overcoming point guard Lorenzo Brownâ€™s left ankle injury and beating first-place Miami, N.C. State left the floor with a two-game losing streak and four ACC losses by a combined seven points.

â€œItâ€™s interesting, sometimes, with just a tip with 1 second left, how the feeling of everything can change,â€ N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried said. â€œObviously if they donâ€™t get the tip in, weâ€™re walking around here with our chests poked out, weâ€™re excited, and we see things differently.â€

[snip]

The Blue Devils are preparing for Brown to play â€“ when asked what impact Brownâ€™s uncertain status had on Dukeâ€™s preparation, point guard Quinn Cook said, â€œnone.â€

As Duke knows all too well, it takes time to adjust to the loss of a key player. It took the Blue Devils four games, capped by the embarrassing Miami loss. Now that they have, though, theyâ€™re clearly better than they were when Kelly was first injured.

â€œTheyâ€™ve learned some things,â€ Gottfried said of Duke. â€œObviously weâ€™re going to look at some film and see some things that we going to continue to do, but, at the same time, theyâ€™re still a different team, and weâ€™ve got to go in with the mindset that theyâ€™re going to be better.â€

Instead of scrambling for answers, Duke enters this Thursdayâ€™s game with the confidence that a three-game winning streak brings. But, as the Wolfpack can attest, all of that positive momentum can vanish in less than a second.

Over the past couple of days I have harped ad nauseum on N. C. State’s second half woes in ACC play. (Relive the horror here and here.) My conjecture has been that a thin bench and the grind of a long regular season is the culprit for second half shortcomings, but not all thin benches are created equally. The Wolfpack’s biggest depth issue is in the post, where Calvin Leslie and Richard Howell are the only consistently reliable options. T. J. Warren is more of a wing pressed into eating a few minutes inside, and Jordan Vandenberg has not developed into the shot bothering rebounder one might have expected from a seven footer.

I do not contend that Leslie and Howell are poor or unwilling defenders, but rather that they have been coached not to foul because of the team is better off with a timid interior defense than with no offensive post presence. The result, unfortunately, is that opponents are eating the Pack alive inside.

NC State basketball’s combination of good offense and bad defense can make for some exciting games, as we have recently witnessed (unfortunately, in this case). State’s ability to get up and down the floor in transition is all sorts of fun. We all know this. Now America knows this, thanks to this scientific list of the country’s most watchable basketball teams:

3. North Carolina State: Richard Howell isn’t built like a bruiser, but the forward’s core strength allows him to clear out a significant chunk of interior space. He has superior footwork, and he can outjump would-be defensive rebounders, all of which make him a box-out nightmare for opposing bigs (not to mention a vital part of the Wolfpack’s 1987-never-happened offense). Only four other high-major programs attempt fewer threes than the Wolfpack. When he isn’t converting those rebounds-Howell’s 1.28 points per put-back is fourth among D1 bigs-his team benefits from the additional possessions.

Welcome to National Signing Day, also a national holiday for those fervent followers of college football recruiting.

Wednesday is the first day high school football players can sign binding national letters of intent with the schools of their choice. Many have committed to their schools; today they can make it official.

4. Clemson, Florida State and Virginia Tech lead the way in the ACC. Clemson landed two of South Carolinaâ€™s best players in linebacker Ben Boulware of T.L. Hanna and receiver Mike Williams of Lake Marion. Florida Stateâ€™s class is led by five-star defensive back Jalen Ramsey of Nashville, Tenn. The Hokiesâ€™ top recruit is Kendall Fuller, a five-star defensive back from Olney, Md.

6. The Charlotte 49ers shifted their recruiting strategy because of their 2015 move to Conference USA and the Football Bowl Subdivision. So coach Brad Lambert had to go with quality and quantity. Instead of signing six or seven FCS-quality players, Lambert will sign 17 players today who are closer to FBS caliber.

10. North Carolina missed out on North of Charlotte Mallard Creek but will sign Northern Guilfordâ€™s T.J. Logan, the stateâ€™s top running back. It still is edging N.C. State and new coach Dave Doeren, who did land four-star cornerback Sean Paul of Vero Beach, Fla.

The clock is ticking toward National Signing Day, so ACCSports.com is here with the football recruiting fix you need!

Weâ€™ll be posting: signing day snapshots for each ACC school; state-by-state reports from the main six states in the ACC footprint; updated commitment lists; recruiting story links compilations; and National Signing Day wire stories.

Weâ€™ll be adding articles multiple times a day. Below is what weâ€™ve posted on the site so far. Remember – keep checking back for updates.

NC State head coach Dave Doeren will be announcing his first signing class on Wednesday, Feb. 6, and GoPack.com will be inside the Murphy Center providing coverage as the faxes roll in.

Live coverage will begin at 7 a.m. and lead up to Coach Doeren’s press conference at 3:30 p.m. GoPack.com will feature exclusive content on the newest members of the Wolfpack throughout the day.

This yearâ€™s class will also be announced via twitter (@PackFootball) as well as on NC Stateâ€™s official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/ncstateathletics), with updates posted throughout the day.

Fans can then watch Coach Doeren’s breakdown of the 2013 class when he holds his press conference at 3:30 p.m., which will be streamed on GoPack.com at this link.

About 1.21 Jigawatts

Class of '98, Mechanical Engineer, State fan since arriving on campus and it's been a painful ride ever since. I live by the Law of NC State Fandom, "For every Elation there is an equal and opposite Frustration."
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